Falling within the middle of the Cold War, Turkey invaded Cyprus for the first time on July 20, 1974. There were different theories surrounding the invasion and the views of governmental figures from NATO countries. Cyprus was home to Turks and Greeks, and was planning on reuniting with a democratic Greece.
Greece was by this time a member of NATO and proved to be a crucial naval access point. NATO allies hoped to keep the peace between Turkey and Greece because of these important waterways. Greece was attempting to return to a democratic government Turkey invaded to protect “the island’s Turkish Cypriot minority […] from the ‘Greeks’ Campaign of Terror” (Fouskas). Turkey intended to prevent a Turkish massacre that would occur if Cyprus became reunited with Greece.
Within the United States, there was a theory that Henry Kissinger, then the secretary of state and a part of the NSA, knew about the plans for Turkey to invade Cyprus and allowed it to happen in order to benefit the U.S. Kissinger stated that he had no interest in getting involved with the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. During this time the United States and Kissinger were in the middle of the Watergate Scandal and didn’t have time for Greece. The U.S. threatened to cut off military aid to Greece if they attacked Turkey, while continuing to offer supplies to Turkey. The United States decided that their relations with Turkey were more important than with Greece because of Turkey’s relationship with the Soviet Union and “the U.S. tolerated all hostilities that took place between two of their allies and only decided to intervene when the possibility of a full-scale war between Greece and Turkey became a reality” (Kassimeris 2008).
Chan, S. (2016, November 08). Cyprus: Why one of the world’s most intractable conflicts continues. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/world/europe/cyprus-reunification-talks.html
Fouskas, Vassilis K. 2001. “Reflections on the Cyprus Issue and the Turkish Invasions of 1974.” Mediterranean Quarterly 12 (3): 98. doi:10.1215/10474552-12-3-98.
Kassimeris, Christos. “The Inconsistency of United States Foreign Policy in the Aftermath of the Cyprus Invasion: The Turkish Arms Embargo and its Termination.” Journal of modern Greek Studies 26, no.1 (2008): 91-114.
Mallinson, William, and Vassilis Fouskas. 2017. “Kissinger and the Business of Government: The Invasion of Cyprus, 15 July-20 August 1974.” Cyprus Review 29 (1): 111-34. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eoh&AN=1847585&site=ehost-live.